Thursday, May 31, 2012

Hinged-Top Waterfall Dresser

When I see a
beautiful piece of unpainted furniture, I am often torn between wanting to keep
the original wood, and wanting to paint it. Sometimes I make my decision based
on the style of furniture. For example, something that screams 1970s is the
worst of ways might look fresh and modern with a clean, glossy coat of paint.
Other times, I find pieces that are so hopelessly beat up that only people who
enjoy cruel and unusual punishment would attempt to refinish the wood.

That’s what happened when I stumbled upon this waterfall
dresser on craigslist. It needed some serious help. Veneer was missing all over
the place, the top had something crusted onto it, and a piece of the frame was
missing between the top drawer and top of the dresser.

It was actually that missing piece that sold me. Seeing that
2 inch gap between the uppermost drawer and the dresser top made me realize
just how much wasted space was in there. “I could do something with that
space,” I thought to myself. So I went and picked her up in my trusty little
Fiona Fit.

At first I planned to chip off all the veneer from the
drawers and the top. That proved to be nearly impossible, even when I used
vinegar mixes that were supposed to loosen the adhesive. I ended up sanding the veneer off the drawers.
Underneath the veneer was some kind of porous wood that had holes all over it
(not just grain, but real holes). I filled the holes with wood filler, sanded
them, and repeated the process. I also used some wood glue and clamps to
tighten the drawer joints a bit.

After tackling the drawers, I got to work on the frame. The
first thing I did was remove the top by unscrewing all the places it was connected
to the frame and using a rubber mallet to gently loosen any areas that were
glued down. Because so much of the veneer was left on the top that I couldn’t
chip off, I sanded it down with my power sander as much as possible and then
used wood filler to level out the places where the veneer was missing. This
took a lot of layers of wood filler and sanding to get a good smooth finish. I
used a sanding wedge to try and get a level surface.

Once I had tackled the top, I got to work on constructing
the replacement piece for the frame. I couldn’t find 2 inch molding in the
style I needed, so I glued two pieces of small dental molding and a couple
pieces of wood from Home Depot together to make the top piece. Then I drilled a
pocket hole with my mini kreg jig on either side so that I could attach the new
piece to the frame. I also filled any cracks in my puzzle of molding to make it
look like one piece. I used Kregg screws to attach the piece to the frame.

Then came the fancy part. I decided to build a shelf in the
top of the dresser to utilize all that dead space at the top. To do this, I had pieces of wood cut the size
of the inside of the frame, drilled pocket holes in the them, and screwed them
into the frame. Then I had a piece of higher-quality plywood cut to slightly
smaller than the inside of the frame. When I got home, I used my Dremel
Multimax saw attachment to cut out corners in the shelf to accommodate the four
corners of the frame. To hide the gaps between the frame and the shelf, I cut
small pieces of molding and glued them along the frame. It was a process, but
it was oh-so-satisfying once I finished. Unfortunately I was so focused on
building that I did not take a single picture of the process. Fail.

Once I built the frame, it was finally time to start
painting. At first I primed everything with Zinsser Cover Stain, which I had read
from various sources was the best primer to use. But the wood grain on the
drawers was SO pronounced, and you could see where it was interrupted by the
wood filler spots, so I did some research and found that if you really want to
seal wood grain, you should use Zinsser BIN, which is shellac-based. So I used
two coats of Zinsser BIN primer over the drawers and the whole frame to seal
the wood. Shortly after, I purchased my Benjamin Moore Advance paint and read
that it should only be painted over oil-based primers, not shellac-based
primers or “undercoaters”. Whoops. So I sanded the surfaces with 220-grit
sandpaper and applied a final coat of primer, this time using Zinsser Cover
Stain. I sanded the surface again when I was done, and then got to the real
paint.

Prior to applying the actual paint color, I made sure that the
top actually fit on the frame. It’s a good thing I did, because the top wasn’t
having it. When I attached the new portion of the frame, I inadvertently
narrowed the space at the top of the dresser. No worries! I just sanded the
sides of the top quite a bit, recoated with primer, and was ready to paint
again.

I used Benjamin Moore Advance Satin paint in “Once Upon a
Time”. It took three coats and some touch ups to get this baby covered.

After letting the paint cure for a loooonnnng time, I
attached the hardware that would allow the top of the dresser to open up and
allow access to the new shelf. I used regular brass hinges on the back of the
dresser and a lid support on the inside. As I experienced with my TV cabinetdresser retro-fit, this took a few tries.

To give the dresser a finishing touch, I used Brasso and the
rough side of a kitchen sponge to remove some of the tarnish that had built up
on the original hardware. The hardware was REALLY tarnished, and I didn’t have
the patience to remove all the tarnish, so I got it to a point where it looked
a little tarnished but not dirty. I actually think that look works well with
this dresser.

So there you have it, the story of rebuilding/enhancing this
art deco relic. This girl came to the Lucketts Market with me, got a million
compliments, but didn’t leave with a new owner. I think she is pretty taste
specific, but I can picture her in a bedroom with her top shelf full of pretty little
china saucers and teacups full of earrings and necklaces and bracelets and
other pretty things. I also think she’d look really pretty with a mirror on
that underside.

Update: I realized that I didn't bother to record that this dresser has a paper label on the back with a that shows that it was manufactured by Johnson Carper Furniture Company in Roanoke, Virginia, and that it was shipped to John Bujewicz in South River, New Jersey. It looks like the company started around 1927 and manufactured furniture through the 1930s, which confirms that this is an authentic art deco piece. Maybe someone will be looking up their family and read this blog and recognize the dresser or know how it ended up in this neck of the woods. Wouldn't that be cool? If you are a Bujewicz and you are around my age, this might have belonged to your great grandfather or uncle, or maybe it belonged to your grandmother. I got it from a family in Alexandria (maybe they are Bujewiczes too?). Anyway, let the powers of the interweb bring us together.

23 comments:

Sarah, thanks for stopping in at Quirky Vistas. That is a great idea about the epoxy. I am always looking for ideas like that and I think you are right, that should hold much better for something like this. I'll have to get some and keep it on hand because things like this come up and if I don't have it, I make do! :)Liz

that hinged top is so fun! love that color, too! i have removed veneer before as well, and sometimes you can heat it with an iron (use a towel in between of course!) and it affects the glue and helps it come off easier. i have also used water before and wet it to make it easier to remove.

Thanks Cassie! I think I used water, an iron and wet towel, and even vinegar to try and remove it, but this was some really stubborn adhesive. I normally have a much easier time removing veneer if I have to.

I have to tell you, that I am a "skimmer" I generally quickly read posts, look at the pretty pictures, then move on. I read ever word of this post (RARE)I felt your pain in every step (even getting so involved as to not take pics, been there, done that)I love that you hinged it. I can't believe you put so much paint on this! I would NEVER have the patience for all that.but in the end, after all your work, it is fabulous sarah!great job!I see it in a bedroom with a mirror and jewelry in the top. (maybe some pretty felt glued down)

Sarah, I am new to upcycling furniture. Your blog is amazingly helpful. I appreciate your articulate and very clear descriptions. I can't believe the amount of work you put into this hinged dresser, this is so obviously a work of love. In terms of this dresser, do you price it according to the amount of work and time you put into it? In other words, how do you go about pricing your work? Thanks, Sue

Welcome

I'm Sarah, an interior designer from Alexandria, Virginia. This is where I document my love of design on all levels, from beautiful furniture and DIY projects to the powerful way interiors can affect our lives. Thanks for checking out my blog! Learn more.